Big Star: tacos in windy city paradise

Services – 3.7 / 5 Funny and speedy waiter with the glorious beard who choose my order for me. The other two: artist and prep not as warm or fuzzy.

On my last day in Chicago I finally pulled myself away from the array of pizzas and stuffed meats long enough to have a quick local trendy bite at Big Star. Mind you this was immediately after I had half of my Maple Bacon Long John and was desperately trying not to fill up on desert before my entree. In short, the tacos here are pretty decent and have some interesting flavor combinations. I had the pork, fish, and chicken; by far it was the pork that stood out to me.

Taco de Pescado

The fish was a little overpowered by the oil and the contrast with the cold cabbage unseasoned cabbage diluted the taste further. It might have been better if there was a much spicier kick from the “chipotle mayo” or if the fish batter was seasoned.

Taco de Pollo

The chicken was well seasoned and spicy, the crema and fresh queso helped bring out the tenderness of the meat while the pickled red onionscut through the creaminess. Definitely hits a lot of late-night-muchie-spots.

Alas, my favorite of the day. Spit roasted pork shoulder with grilled pineapple, onions and cilantro. While the pork was a little tough for a shoulder the smokey flavor was great and the grilled pineapple complimented well. The slightly carmalized sweet juices filled the inherent dryness that tends to come with fire roasting. This definitely paired the best with a light citrusy and peachy (not the princess) flavor of the GumballHead by 3 Floyds.

Taco Al Pastor

Overall yummy experience and certain flavors did stand out more than others. Their Horchata is rather watered down and a little warm, was not able to taste much of the cinnamon or almond flavors, it even looked a little pale for a milky rice drink. The Chiles Torreados looked well charred at at a but I couldn’t take many chances with a 2hr flight ahead of me. At $3-5 a taco and drink specials like a rotating list of $3 whiskey the place is pretty recession friendly and looks to be down for some Cheap and Cheerful times.